LA’s 100 Greatest Moments (From 1996)
Since the publication of "Unforgettable: The 100 Greatest Moments in Los Angeles Sports History," the Sports Council has compiled an annual list of the top ten moments in L.A. sports. Presented here are the annual lists from 1996 through last year.
2010
Lakers Win NBA Title (June 17): The Lakers defeat the Boston Celtics in seven games to win their 16th NBA championship and 11th in Los Angeles
John Wooden’s Life and Legacy Remembered (June 26): The influence of the long and distinguished life of Coach John Wooden is commemorated in a stirring memorial at UCLA.
Buss Elected to Hall of Fame (April 5): Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss is elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donovan’s Dramatic Goal Propels U.S. to 2nd Round of World Cup (June 22): USA forward and team captain Landon Donovan scored a last-minute goal to defeat Algeria, 1-0, and advance the U.S. to the second round of the World Cup in South Africa.
Zenyatta’s Remarkable Winning Streak (October 2): With a series of come-from-behind finishes, Southern California’s own Zenyatta wins five consecutive races to run her career unbeaten streak to 19 and confirm her status as one of the greatest race horses of all time.
Olympic Gold for Lysacek (February 19): Los Angeles’ Evan Lysacek wins the gold medal in Figure Skating at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, becoming the first American man to do so since 1988.
Kings Return to NHL Playoffs (April 19): The Kings qualify for the playoffs and host their first postseason game since 2002, defeating the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3, at Staples Center.
UCLA Wins its 11th NCAA Softball Title (June 8): UCLA goes 10-0 in the postseason, including a sweep of Arizona in the Championship series, as Megan Langenfeld is named Most Outstanding Player of the World Series.
L.A.’s Best Power Team USA to Basketball Gold (September 12): The Clippers’ Eric Gordon, the Lakers’ Lamar Odom, and former UCLA Bruin Russell Westbrook help lead Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA Basketball World Championships in Turkey.
Angels Host All-Star Game; Dodgers Broxton Registers Save (July 13): The Angels host the All-Star game for the first time since 1989; the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton records the final three outs to save the game, 3-1, for the National League’s first victory since 1996.
2009
Lakers Win NBA Title (June 14): Lakers defeat Orlando in five games�to win their 15th NBA championship and 10th in Los Angeles.
Zenyatta’s Run to Glory (November 7): In one of the most dramatic performances in Breeders’ Cup history, Zenyatta wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
Angels Sweep Red Sox to Advance to ALCS (October 11): Angels win the AL West and sweep the Boston Red Sox to reach the American League Championship Series.
Dodgers Sweep Cardinals to Advance to NLCS (October 10): Dodgers win the NL West for the second year in a row and sweep the Cardinals to reach the National League Championship Series.
Fisher’s Clutch 3s Help Win Game 4 (June 11): Derek Fisher's clutch three-point shots -- one with 4.6 seconds left in regulation and another with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime -- power the Lakers over the Magic in the pivotal Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Ethier’s Walk-Off Heroics (November): Dodger right fielder Andre Ethier is named MLB’s Clutch Performer of the Year after leading the majors with six walk-off hits, including four home runs.
Adenhart’s Legacy Inspires Angels (April 9): The tragic death of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart in an auto accident provides season-long inspiration to his teammates and fans.
Luc Enters Hockey Hall (November 9): Eight-time All-Star Luc Robitaille of the Los Angeles Kings is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Leslie’s Stellar Career Ends (September 26): Eight-time All-Star Lisa Leslie retires from the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.
(tie) Japan Wins World Baseball Classic (March 23): In a dramatic Final at Dodger Stadium, Japan edged Korea 5-3 in 10 innings to win the World Baseball Classic.
(tie) Lysacek Wins World Skating Title (March 26): Evan Lysacek became the first American man to win the World Figure Skating Championships since 1996, at Staples Center.
2008
Dodgers Get Manny: Manny Ramirez turns Los Angeles into “Mannywood” and leads the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series. (July 31)
Kobe Nets MVP: Kobe Bryant wins his first NBA Most Valuable Player award. (May 6)
Lezak’s Golden Touch: Irvine’s Jason Lezak swims the anchor leg of the men’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay, leading the U.S. team to gold and thereby preserving the second of Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals. (August 11)
Lakers Return to Finals: The Lakers defeat San Antonio in five games to win the Western Conference championship and advance to the NBA Finals. (May 29)
Dodgers Advance to NLCS: The Dodgers defeat the Cubs in a three-game sweep of their Division Series to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1988. (October 4)
Bruins Earn Third Straight Final Four Trip: UCLA’s men’s basketball team swept through the West Regional to earn its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Final Four. (March 29)
Trojans Win Pac-10, Again: USC’s football team defeats UCLA, 28-7, to earn an unprecedented seventh straight Pac-10 championship. (December 6)
Walsh & May Repeat in Beach Volleyball: Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball at the Beijing Games. (August 21)
Angels Reach 100 Wins: On the last day of the regular season the Angels set a club record with their 100th victory in a win over Texas. (September 28)
Parker Shines in Rookie Campaign: Candace Parker becomes the first player in WNBA history to win the league’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year. (October 5)
2007
Ducks Win Stanley Cup (June 6): Anaheim defeated Ottawa in five games to win its first Stanley Cup.
Beckham-mania (July 13): The Galaxy introduced their newest midfielder, superstar David Beckham, to a raucous crowd at The Home Depot Center that included more than 750 media members.
UCLA Returns to Final Four (March 24): The UCLA men's basketball team swept through the West Regional, defeating No. 1 seed Kansas to reach its second straight Final Four.
Kobe Scores 50 in Four Straight (March 23): Kobe Bryant scored 50 points, his 4th consecutive game of 50+ points, in leading the Lakers to a win over New Orleans.
Dodgers Hire Torre (November 1): The Dodgers signed Joe Torre, one of the winningest managers in baseball history, to a three-year deal to skipper the ballclub.
Trojans Win Pac-10, Again (December 1): USC won its final four regular-season football games to earn an unprecedented sixth consecutive Pacific 10 championship as well as a sixth straight BCS bowl berth.
UCLA First to 100 (May 13): UCLA's women's water polo team beat Stanford to capture its third straight NCAA title and the school's 100th, as UCLA made history by becoming the first University to win 100 team championships.
Venus Wins Wimbledon (July 7): Venus Williams won the Ladies' Championship for a fourth time, defeating France's Marion Bartoli in the final at the All England Club. The L.A. area native's four Wimbledon singles titles are tops among all active players.
Anderson's 10 RBI's Sets Angels Mark (August 21): Garret Anderson collected a club record 10 RBI's in a game against the Yankees, capping his performance with his eighth career grand slam, another club record.
Felix Shines at World Championships (Sept. 2): Los Angeles native Allyson Felix starred at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, winning three gold medals.
2006
Kobe Bryant scores 81 points (January 22): Bryant produced the second-highest single-game point total in NBA history in leading the Lakers to a win over Toronto.
USC-Texas Rose Bowl classic (January 4): In one of the greatest games ever in college football history, Texas quarterback Vince Young scored with 19 seconds remaining to lift the Longhorns to a 41-38 win and the national championship.
Dodgers hit 4 consecutive homers (September 19): The Dodgers blasted back-to-back-to-back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the score against San Diego, then won, 11-10, on Nomar Garciaparra's two-run shot in the 10th.
UCLA stops USC, 13-9 (December 2): The Bruins stunned their cross-town rivals in football to snap a seven-game series losing streak and knock the Trojans out of national championship contention.
UCLA reaches Final Four (April 3): The Bruins capped an incredible March Madness run by reaching the Final Four and Championship game for the first time in 11 years.
Clippers win first playoff series (May 1): The Clippers defeated Denver, 4 games to 1, to earn their first playoff series win since 1978.
Jered Weaver wins 9 straight to begin career (August 18): The Angels pitcher went 9-0 to start his major league career, tying Whitey Ford's rookie mark set in 1950.
Ducks set NHL record for best start (November 9): Anaheim established a new NHL record by recording at least one standings point in each of their first 16 games, going 12-0-4.
Lisa Leslie scores 5,000th career point (June 24): Leslie became the first WNBA player to total 5,000 career points.
Tiger Woods wins 6 straight PGA events (July 23-October 1): The native Southern Californian won six consecutive PGA Tour events and eight overall, retaining his No. 1 world ranking.